Personal grooming tool



Nov. 9, 1965 C. C. JOHNSON PERSONAL GROOMING TOOL Filed April 14, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 9, 1965 c. c. JOHNSON 3,216,034

PERSONAL GROOMING TOOL Filed April 14, 1964 IS Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 9, 1965 c. c. JOHNSON 3,216,034

PERSONAL GROOMING TOOL Filed April 14, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 WWW United States Patent 3,216,034 PERSONAL GROOIVHNG T001, Clyde C. Johnson, 10213 7th Ave., Englewood, Calif. Filed Apr. 14, 1964, Ser. No. 359,695 Claims. (Cl. 15 23) This invention relates to a personal grooming device, more particularly to a finger and toe nail cleaner.

The invention is particularly concerned with apparatus for removing rapidly the grime and dirt that accumulates Iunder everyones nails, regardless of professional position or status in life. There ha-s been for a long time a need for an improvement in finger and toe nail cleaning.

The various features of the improved device of the present invention will be better understood by referring to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing the front end of the present invention embodying the brush and cleaning unit; p

FIGURE 2 is a partial sectional top elevational view of the present invention;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional side elevational view taken along line 3 3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a front view shown along line 4 4 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5 5 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 6 is a cross-sectional View taken along line 6 6 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7 7 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of a pulley and rotatable cleaning and brushing unit included in the illustrated embodiment of the present invention;

FIGURE 9 is a perspective view of a pulley and bevel gear drive `utilized in the illustrated embodiment of the present invention;

FIGURE 10 is a plan elevational View of a cleaning disc which is included in the rotatable unit of FIG- URE 8;

FIGURE 11 is a plan elevational view of a rotatable brushing and massaging member which is included in the rotatable unit of FIGURE 8;

FIGURE 12 is a perspective view of a modified form of the rotatable unit of FIGURE 8;

FIGURE 13 is a perspective View of another modified form of the rotatable unit of FIGURE 8;

FIGURE 14 is a perspective view of another modified form of the rotatable unit of FIGURE 8;

FIGURE 15 is a side elevational View showing another modified form of the invention;

FIGURE 16 is a perspective view showing another modified form lof the invention;

FIGURE 17 is a side elevational view showing a further modilied form of the invention;

FIGURE 18 is a partially sectional elevational view of the embodiment of FIGURE 17 turned ninety degrees on its longitudinal exis;

FIGURE 19 is a front elevational view showing cover in closed position; and

FIGURES 20 and 21 are cross-sectional views of the embodiment of FIGURES 17 and 18, taken along the lines 20 20 and 21 21 respectively.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIGURES 110, FIGURE 1 illustrates a finger nail 7 in a position for being about to be cleaned with the new cleaning unit 10 of the invention.

A rotatable cleaning and brush member 47, as shown l in FIGURES 2 and 3, is journalled in a bearing 13 which is held in position by locating pins 16 and screws 15.

3,2l34 'Patented Nov. 9, 1965 The rotatable member 47 is also journalled at the top in a hole 21a of the cover 12.

With the cover 12 removed the belt 23 can be put on or taken off the pulleys 20 of the rotatable member 47 and of the bevel gear and shaft assembly 34. One end of the shaft 22 of the assembly 34 is also journalled in a hole 34a of the cover 12.

The bevel gear and shaft assembly 34 are placed into position through a hole 51 provided in a protruding shelf 5t) at the bottom of the body 11. The `shaft 22 of the assembly 34 has an annular groove '39a which receives pin 39 and which is held captive by the side walls 12a of cover 12, best shown in FIGURE 5. The cover 12 is held in place by four screws 17. All components are held to precise dimensions in manufacture to lallow .for clearances.

The assembly of the rotatable cleaning and brush member 47, as shown in FIGURE 8, consists of ra brush element 30 mounted on the shaft 21. The shaft 21 has a groove 37 (the nodes 25 of the pulley, cleaning and brush elements are matched to groove 37) which holds the element 3l) in position. The bottom 52 of groove 37 limits the brush 3l) to its correct position. Next, the two cleaning elements 26 with fingers, lor tines, 27 are placed over the brush element 30, with their nodes 25 in the groove 37, and the pulley 20 is then placed on the shaft 21 where node 25 of the pulley 20 is entered into groove '37.

FIGURE 9 shows the second pulley 20 with a similar node 25 matched to groove 37 and placed on shaft 22 of the bevel gear and shaft assembly 34. The pulley 20 bottoms at 52a in the shaft 22 of the bevel gear and shaft assembly 34, after the assembly has 'been inserted into the aperture 51 of the protruding shelf 50'. The insertion of the pin 39 into its position has been previously disclosed.

After the assembly 34 and rotatable member 47 are in place, a stretchable plastic belt 23 is placed on the first pulley 20 of the cleaning and brush assembly 47 and then worked over the second pulley 2li of the bevel gear and `shaft assembly 34. The elasticity of the belt 23 serves to keep the belt taut.

Outwardly extending tines 27 of the cleaning elements 26, as shown in FIGURE 10, are made of plastic material such as nylon or Teiion, and these tines have a cross section of the order of 0.15 inch in thickness, which makes the tines 27 soft and pliable but rigid enough to provide through centrifugal force the action required to readily clean the grime from under the nail 7.

After assembling the units 34 and 47 in the body 11, the cleaning unit 10 is ready to be coupled to the motor 1. The motor 1 is preferably of a waterproof construction. The motor is inserted then into the main body 11 of the unit 19. Said Waterproof motor is assembled with a threaded hub 14 into which the electrical cord 55 has been inserted before being attached to points of contact (not shown) on the waterproof motor 1. The main body 11 is threaded at 45 to match threads 44 of hub 14 and tightened against gasket 44a.

When the motor 1 is in position and aligned with the bevel gear 35, a threaded stud 40 is threaded into the main body 11 and sealed against removing by the consumer by any well known method.

yThe forward cavity 48 of the combined cover 12 and body 11 and the bearing insert 13 are shaped to receive the sides and front of the linger or toe.

The shaft 3 of the motor 1 is journalled in a Teflon bearing 4 (FIGURE 3) which is, in turn, inserted into a hole 41a of the transverse wall 11a of the body 11.

The hub 29 of the cleaning element 26 is on one side of the element 26 (FIGURE 8). The node 25 is an integral part of the element 26. Two cleaning elements 26 are required in each rotatable member 47 of the embodiment illustrated in FIGURES 1-11, together with the brush element 30. The brush element 30 has a long hub 32 in which the node 25 is also an integral part, as shown in FIGURE l1. The bristles of the brush element are molded around the periphery of the hub in the usual method of manufacturing this element.

Shown in FIGURE 8, the soft pliable disc with tines 27 will pick out larger pieces of dirt by the action of centrifugal force subsequent to moving the finger tip to the brush portion 30 of the unit 47. The brush 30 will complete the task of removing the said residue. In this manner, the area on the internal surface of the finger nail and the top portion of the skin of the finger tip directly under the nail is given a clear and healthy appearance.

FIGURE 12 shows a modified embodiment of the rotatable member 47 of FIGURE 8 for shaping the nails to ones own desire, the turning of the nail tip lightly against an emory wheel '70 creates a nail dust which will settle under the nail tip. To remove this filing dust a brush 30b, like the brush 30 previously described, will gently brush away the nail dust when the nail tip is brought in contact with the brush 39h bristles. These brush bristles are softer than the ones of the brush 30 described in FIGURE 8. After a short period of practice one can become proficient in shaping the nail ends to perfection.

FIGURE 13 shows another embodiment that is used for only shaping the nail and toe nails. An emory wheel 71 covers the entire opening 4S of the unit 10. This unit can be placed in the unit by turning out the four screws 17 of the cover and removing the unit 47, or any other unit that may be in the grooming device. The belt 23 is slipped off the pulley 20 and the rotating unit 47 is f lifted out. After disassembling the unit 47, the emory wheel is placed on the shaft 21, the node 25 of the emory unit 71 will enter the groove 37. The pulley 2G then is placed on the shaft so the node 25 enters the groove 37. The unit 71 is then inserted into position.

The length of the lower portion of the shaft member 21 is of such a length that it will not become misaligned when the belt is replaced. By carefully replacing the cover over the shaft of the rotating assembly and the bevel gear shaft, and replacing the four screws, the grooming unit is ready for use again.

FIGURE 14 illustrates another embodiment of a rotatable member 47a which comprises a brush 30a, and which is used for polishing the top surface of the nails of fingers and toes. This is achieved by holding the unit 10 at such an angle that the brush bristles of the brush 30a will contact the top exposed surfaces of the finger and toe nails. The rotatable member 47a is substituted for the rotatable member 47 by following the directions previously described for changing the rotatable members.

FIGURE l shows a unit 10a which is similar to the unit and which is powered by using a re-chargeable battery 58. The battery 58 can be re-energized without removing it from the unit 10a. Alternately, the battery 58 may be a removable rechargeable battery or an ordinary flashlight type battery. The battery may be removed by removing the cap 10c.

All the internal movable components of the unit 10b may be similar to those used in the grooming unit 10. In the latter embodiment of FIGURE a switch 59 is incorporated into the body and the unit 10a. The unit 10a is made waterproof by means of a gasket 16d in the cap 10c.

FIGURE 16 shows another form 10b of the unit of the invention. The unit 10b is battery operated, and is in a modified case design. The motor 1b has a shaft and pulley incorporated into its design similar to assembly 34. The cleaning and brushing member 47 or any other rotating assembly described previously are interchangeable. A belt 23a is used to rotate the unit 47 shown. A

switch 59 energizes the motor 1b which is powered by battery 58a. The batteries can be rechargeable or ordinary ashlight type.

An advantage of the grooming unit 10b is that the water and particles which gather in the forward chamber 43 can be removed by flushing under an ordinary water faucet; and by then standing the unit on end for draining. Remaining moisture can be shaken out with no difficulty.

The cleaning unit shown in FIGURES 17-21 is designated 10], This latter embodiment has cleaning apertures at the side, rather than at the end of the unit. This facilitates the manner by which the rotatable cleaning member 47h may be coupled to the motor 1c.

The casing for the unit 10j may be similar to the casing for the unit 10a of FIGURE 15. The battery Sb and the motor 1c may be supported in the casing of the unit lf-Jf in the same manner as the unit 10a of FIGURE 15. As previously, the battery 58b may be rechargeable, or it may be an ordinary flashlight battery.

The motor 1c has a drive shaft 3c which extends through a bearing 41e of nylon or other suitable material. The rotatable member is journalled in a bearing 13b. Half of the bearing 13b is affixed to a hub 12b which, in turn, is threaded onto the body of the unit 101. The other half of the bearing 13b is aiiixed to a cover 60 Which is hinged to the hub 12b.

The cover 60 can be opened, as shown in FIGURE 18, to permit the removal and replacement of the rotatable member 47h. The cover 60 includes a snap-fastener portion 60a which serves to hold it closed. When the cover is closed, the rotatable member 47b is supported for rotation in the unit.

The rotatable member 47b is removably coupled to the shaft 3c, by means, for example, a transverse slot 61 in the shaft of the member 47b which engages a transverse key portion 3d of the motor shaft. A spacer 62 is placed on one end of the member 47b shaft and at the opposite end of the 'shaft is placed another spacer 62a to keep the member 47b aligned for ease of rotation. The spacer 62a acts in addition as a bearing for the shaft of the rotatable member 47 b.

Although several embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it is to be understood that the invention is subject to variations in form and construction within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination for cleaning and polishing finger and toe nails: a housing shaped to define an opening at one end for receiving individual fingers and toes; an electric motor disposed within the housing; switching means mounted on said housing and electrically connected to said motor to control the energization thereof; a shaft journaled within the housing for rotation therein; means mechanically coupling said shaft to said motor to cause said shaft to be rotated by said motor upon the energization of said motor; a disc member mounted on said shaft to be rotated thereby and engageable through said opening in said housing by the individual fingers 4and toes, said disc member having a plurality of outwardly-extending radial tines for removing dirt from behind the nails of the individual fingers and toes inserted into said opening; and a rotatable brush member mounted on said shaft adjacent said disc member to be rotated thereby and engageable through said opening by the individual fingers and toes, said brush member having radial bristles for removing residual dirt from behind the nails of the fingers and toes individually inserted into said opening.

2. The combination defined in claim 1 in which said shaft has a longitudinal groove formed therein, and in which said disc member and said brush member each have nodes entering said groove to key said disc member and said brush member to said shaft, and in which said disc member and said brush member are removably mounted on said shaft.

3. The combination defined in claim 1 in which said coupling means includes a stretchable plastic belt.

4. In combination for cleaning and polishing nger and toe nails: a housing shaped to define an opening at one end for receiving individual fingers and toes; an electric motor disposed within the housing; a shaft journaled within the housing for rotation therein and mechanically coupled to said motor to be rotated by lsaid motor upon energization of said motor, said shaft having a longitudinal groove formed therein; a cleaning member mounted on said shaft to be rotated thereby, said cleaning member being engageable through said opening by the individual lingers and toes and having a node formed thereon to be received by said longitudinal groove in said shaft to cause said cleaning member to be keyed to said shaft; and means for releasably mounting said cleaning member on said shaft.

5. In combination for cleaning and polishing finger and toe nails: a housing shaped to dene an opening at one end for receiving individual fingers and toes; an electric motor disposed Within the housing; a shaft member journalled within the housing for rotation therein and mechanically coupled to said motor to be rotated by said motor upon energization of said motor; a cleaning member mounted on said shaft member to be rotated thereby, said cleaning member being enga geable through said opening by the individual fingers and toes; one of the afore- References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,205,533 11/16 Heaps et al. 15-23 1,848,864 3/32 Andis 132-73.6 1,915,305 6/33 Gallagher. 2,056,379 10/36 Acocella 132-73.6 2,389,665 11/45 Harris. 2,740,977 4/56 Allen 15-24 3,033,197 5/62 Barckley. 3,080,591 3/63 Townsend 15-38 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,126,287 11/56 France.

959,75 6 2/ 57 Germany.

566,454 1 45 Great Britain.

594,215 4/ 59 Italy.

274,374 5 5 1 Switzerland.

CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner. 

4. IN COMBINATION FOR CLEANING AND POLISHING FINGER AND TOE NAILS: A HOUSING SHAPED TO DEFINE AN OPENING AT ONE END FOR RECEIVING INDIVIDUAL FINGERS AND TOES; AN ELECTRIC MOTOR DISPOSED WITHIN THE HOUSING; A SHAFT JOURNALED WITHIN THE HOUSING FOR ROTATION THEREIN AND MECHANICALLY COUPLED TO SAID MOTOR TO BE ROTATED BY SAID MOTOR UPON ENERGIZATION OF SAID MOTOR, SAID SHAFT HAVING A LONGITUDINAL GROOVE FORMED THEREIN; A CLEANING MEMBER MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFT TO BE ROTATED THEREBY, SAID CLEANING MEMBER BEING ENGAGEABLE THROUGH SAID OPENING BY THE INDIVIDUAL FINGERS AND TOES AND HAVING A NODE FORMED THEREON TO BE RECEIVED BY SAID LONGITUDINAL GROOVE IN SAID SHAFT TO CAUSE SAID CLEANING MEMBER TO BE KEYED TO SAID SHAFT; AND MEANS FOR RELEASABLY MOUNTING SAID CLEANING MEMBER ON SAID SHAFT. 